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周一发生在Somerville区Ingham Chicken处理厂的火灾是一场灾难，全国总工会助理秘书Esmond Curnow说。
他说工会担心几百名工人可能会没事可做。他们将会得到一周的薪水，但是这以后我们需要尽快的得到信息。我们急需在周五前跟公司会谈以便能报告工会成员未来的进展。我们想知道工厂是被重建还是迁往别处。
Ingham是维州{zd0}的鸡肉处理厂，每天处理12万只鸡。



Chicken plant fire threatens jobs of 1000 workers, says union

A FIRE that destroyed a Melbourne chicken plant that supplied nearly a third of the Victorian market has jeopardised the jobs of more than 1000 workers.

Monday's fire at Ingham Chicken in Somerville, on the Mornington Peninsula, was a disaster, National Union of Workers assistant secretary Esmond Curnow said today.

Mr Curnow said the union feared many hundreds of people would be left without work.

"They will get a full week's pay this week but after that we need some information quickly,'' he said.

"We are desperate to talk with the company before Friday so we are able to report to members on Friday what the future holds, which doesn't appear great.

"We want an indication of whether the plant will be rebuilt or started up somewhere else.

"We have 525 members there. If it had been 500 car workers at Ford or Toyota, there would have been headlines for days.''

The Ingham chicken processing plant is Victoria's biggest, with 120,000 birds killed there each day.

Its destruction will also affect suppliers, distributors and small businesses that service the company.

The cause of the fire is being investigated but it is believed to have started in cardboard storage room on Monday afternoon as Melbourne sweltered in 40C-plus temperatures.

The company's board has been holding crisis meetings since the fire.

Ingham group services director John Hexton said: "We are still working through the implications and are supporting the workers as best we can. There is an information hotline for them.''

The company is believed to be bringing in chickens from its Adelaide plant to supply customers in Victoria.

Mr Curnow said Ingham Enterprises did not expect problems with any redundancies or entitlements.

"We have spoken to the Victorian and Federal Governments and involved Centrelink to help and brief people about being fitted out with what they are entitled to in the short term,'' he said.

"We will ask the Victorian government about fast-tracking any rebuilding there or elsewhere so councils do not mess them around.''